Diet Myth
"Dairy products are fattening and unhealthy"
Diet Facts
Dairy products like milk, cheese and yoghurt are actually packed with
essential nutrients that help to keep us healthy. As well as being good sources
of protein, zinc and some B vitamins, dairy products are packed with calcium, a
mineral that helps to build strong, healthy bones (the stronger bones are, the
less likely you’ll be to suffer from the bone-thinning disease, osteoporosis,
in later life) but according to recent research, may also help us lose weight.
Dairy products don’t have to be label as‘fattening’ either – there are
loads of low-fat products available such as skimmed or semi-skimmed milk,
low-fat yoghurts and reduced-fat cheeses.
Switching to low-fat dairy products doesn’t mean you’ll get less calcium
either. In fact, skimmed and semi-skimmed milks actually contain slightly more
calcium than full-fat milk.
But best of all, research shows that low-fat dairy products
can help us to lose weight thanks to the calcium they contain.
Milk is finally starting to recover from the bad press it’s had
(because of important nutrients information are being
overlooked)
Sadly, many slimmers
avoid milk and dairy products because they think they’re ‘fattening’. In fact,
a pint of skimmed milk (1% fat) contains just 90 calories and trace (<1g) fat,
while a pint of low fat milk (2% fat) contains 125 calories and 5g fat – that’s
less than most small chocolate bars (SNICKERS, calories = 247kcal, and fat = 12.2g)!
But by ditching
dairy, slimmers are not only missing out on bone-building calcium. They’re also
missing out on a potentially important fat fighter!
(Researchers at Purdue University in Indiana found that young, normal weight women who had 1,000mg of calcium every day)
(Researchers at Purdue University in Indiana found that young, normal weight women who had 1,000mg of calcium every day)
Other studies, leading calcium expert, Dr Michael
Zemel and colleagues, analyzed the diets of 32 obese adults and discovered that
those people eating three servings of low-fat dairy products a day lost more
than 10% of their body weight. In contrast, those taking calcium supplements or
those who had little calcium or dairy in their diet lost only 8% and 6% of
their body weight, respectively.
